


Never Really Goodbye

by K_booklover98



Series: Romione College AU [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Cute Ending, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Love Confessions, no magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:46:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22581985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/K_booklover98/pseuds/K_booklover98
Summary: Goodbyes are never easy.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Series: Romione College AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1624945
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	Never Really Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> I'm kind of surprised with myself :) I've been so invested in Drarry, I can't believe I'm pumping out all of these Romione fics. I've started keeping a notebook of ideas for this wonderful couple. Let's see how long it takes to fill up the whole thing!

“So, this is it, huh?” Ron asked, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

“Yeah,” Hermione said. “I guess it is,”

The two stood outside on the porch of Hermione’s childhood home. Tomorrow morning she was off to attend her dream university. It was a dream come true, from the moment she’d received her acceptance letter, she knew she had to go. She hadn’t thought twice about it, immediately accepting the admission offer and applying for scholarships.

Her parents had been so proud. All of her friends and family too.

And Ron was happy for her, _of course_ he was. He wanted her to be happy. He wanted her to have everything she deserved.

She deserved _everything_.

But she was moving. They were already a significant ways away from one another, what with Ron living in Ottery St. Catchpole, and Hermione living four hours away in Hampstead. But they’d been going to the same boarding school for years, and summers were always spent together between his house, family vacations, and trips to the Potters.

They were inseparable.

But now Hermione was leaving. She had a dorm and a roommate. She’d be well over six hours away. Ron could work with four. Six was difficult. He’d decided to go to school locally, so he’d opted to stay at home. At least until he and Harry could find an apartment to share. They were attending the same university, so the two would be living at home. And while he had been rooting for Hermione, a part of him was hoping that maybe, _just maybe_ she would stay as well.

“You all packed?”

“Yeah,” Hermione said with a nervous laugh. “Have been for about a week or so,”

Ron also gave a nervous laugh. “That’s good. Always prepared,”

“You know me,”

There was an awkward silence and Ron hated it. They’d been best friends for well over 7 years, why was this so hard?

“Are you excited?”

“Of course!” Hermione said, perking up. “I’ve already signed up for classes, and have a few clubs picked out that I want to join. My mom keeps insisting that I should join a sorority, but I’ve got other things I want to check off my list first. And I met my new roommate last week, which was great! She’s got the tellie, so I’ve got the mini fridge,” she said with a laugh.

Ron felt bad. Here he was being selfish and wanting her to stay when she was clearly so excited to finally be off on her own. Her parents weren’t the strictest he’d ever met, but still. Being an only child, he could only imagine how exciting this had to be for her. After all, he was looking forward to the day he would finally get to leave the house and start over on his own. No comparisons to his brothers, he could focus on his own accomplishments.

“That’s great, Mione,”

“Yeah,” she said, becoming somber again. “I’ll miss you, you know?”

“You better,” Ron said, pushing her shoulder. “I want calls and texts everyday,”

“Of course,”

“Daily updates. Twice. One in the morning, one before bed,”

Hermione laughed. “Okay?”

“And video chats! At least once a week!”

“I wouldn’t dare miss one,” Hermione said, placing her hand over her heart.

Ron smiled, sighing wistfully. “What am I going to do without you?”

“You’ll manage,”

“Will I?”

Hermione nodded. “I know you will,”

“But we’ve been together for so long,”

“So, being apart will be good for us. And besides, you’ve got Harry,”

“Yeah, but still. You’re pulling our trio apart,”

Hermione snorted. “So, every band loses their lead band member at least once. I’m sure you’ll find a sufficient replacement for me,”

“But you’re the original! No one could replace you!”

“Which is why I’ll have to return for the ten year reunion,”

“That’s in three years!”

“Which is when I’ll be graduating,” Hermione said knowingly, as if she’d had it planned this way all along. Which she probably did, now that Ron thought about it. “And then I’ll back home for good,”

“When _are_ you coming back home? This year, I mean,”

“Christmas,”

Ron took a sharp breath. He’d have to go four months without seeing Hermione. He’s never gone more than 3 weeks. “Oh,”

“I know, I know, but I won’t have a car with me, and flights are expensive,” she said. “My parents are giving me a little bit of money, but I’ll definitely have to find a job once I get settled in,”

Ron nodded in understanding.

“If you ever feel like driving seven hours?” Hermione said, somewhat hopeful.

Ron shook his head laughing. “Maybe one weekend,”

“You should come up sometime though,” Hermione said. “And bring Harry too,”

“Of course,”

Hermione placed a hand on Ron’s shoulder. “You’ll be okay,”

Ron looked up into Hermione’s big chocolate brown eyes. “How do you know?”

She gave him a soft smile. “Because you’re Ronald Weasley. And I know you. You’ll be okay, I promise,”

“I don’t want you to go,” he confessed quietly.

Hermione gave him a sad smile. “I know,”

“You know I’d never ask you to stay - I want you to follow your dreams,”

“That’s why you’re such a good friend,”

“But I - “ Ron tried to find the words. “It’ll be harder than you know,”

“No, I know,” she said, tilting her head. “I do,”

“Do we really have to say goodbye?”

Hermione shook her head yes. “I promised myself I wouldn’t cry,”

“Did Harry?”

Hermione snorted. “Oh yes. We both did for about an hour. Mrs. Potter found us surrounded under a pile of used tissues,”

Ron laughed. “Did she cry?”

“No, but Mr. Potter did,” she said with a giggle. “It was kind of funny actually,”

The thought of James Potter crying was quite a funny sight to imagine. “Well, you are like the daughter they never had,”

“Yeah, but they’ve got Ginny now,” Hermione said with a slight sniffle. “They’ll be okay. And like I said, I’ll be back before you know it,”

Ron nodded, pulling Hermione in for a hug. She smelt so nice, like Roses and sunlight and it set his nostrils ablaze. He would miss this. He’d miss her. He’d miss everything. Her laugh, her smile, the way she feels, the way she smells. How she walks, how she hums to herself when she studies, how she pokes her tongue out when she’s focused, or how she twists her hair when she’s anxious.

Ron pulled her closer, hugged her tighter. He closed his eyes, trying to remember, trying so hard to materialize everything, because he didn’t want to forget. He wanted her to leave an impression, something he could always have with him. Something to keep him going until he could see her again.

Four months.

Seventeen weeks.

One hundred and twenty-two days.

Almost three thousand hours.

Nearly two hundred thousand minutes.

How was he supposed to cope?

“Hermione?”

“Yes?”

Ron pulled back to look at Hermione. Memorize her face. Remember the details of her eyes, her nose, her cheeks. The wavy patterns of her hair, her lashes as she blinked, the shape of her lips.

Ron’s heart was racing a million miles a minute.

_Just tell her._

_Just say it._

“I,”

_It’s now or never._

“Hermione, I-”

“It’s okay,” Hermione said. “I know,”

Ron was confused. “Know what?”

“I know what you’re going to say,” she said, and Ron’s heart stopped. “You’ll tell me to be safe and to watch out for myself,” she said with a chuckle. “I am an adult you know, I can fully well take care of myself,”

Ron stared at her for a moment. And then he laughed. “Right, of course,”

“I keep telling you I’ll be fine,”

“No, I know, it’s just…” he trailed off, reaching out to brush a lock of hair behind her ear. “I want you to know that…”

_Come on, say it…_

“I love you,”

_There…_

Hermione blushed. “I love you too,”

“No, I know, but like...I mean…” Ron’s palms were sweaty.

Hermione looked confused. “What?”

“I mean…” Ron leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I _love you_ ,” he said, wrapping his arms a bit tighter around her.

“Oh,” she said, her blush intensifying. “You love me?”

Ron was blushing madly. “Yes,”

“Why did you never tell me?”

“Honestly?” Ron said, letting out a shaky breath. “I thought it was obvious,”

Hermione giggled into Ron’s neck. “And you decided that now was the time to tell me?”

Ron pulled back again. “This isn’t some last ditch attempt to try and get you to stay,” he said. “I just...thought that you should know. That I love you. I have for a while. And as more than just a friend,”

Hermione shook her head, smiling wide. “Only you, Ronald Weasley. Only you,”

He smiled sheepishly. “Would you want me any other way?”

“No, of course not,”

“Will you let me take you on a date? Whenever I see you again?”

Hermione laughed. It was happy and free, and it made Ron’s heart soar. “I thought you’d never ask. To be honest, I thought you were still pining over Lavender,”

Ron shuddered. “No, definitely not. I just want you. If you want me too, of course,”

Hermione smiled softly at him. “I would like a date,”

Ron’s smile somehow widend. “Great! Er, I mean awesome,” he said.

Hermione giggled. “Christmas date?”

Ron nodded. “Christmas date,”

Hermione leaned on her tip toes and kissed Ron’s cheek. “I have to go now,”

Ron sighed. “Yeah, I know,”

“Will you see me off tomorrow?”

“Of course,”

The two gave each other one last hug, before Ron let her go, and Hermione reluctantly turned around to head back inside the house. As Ron walked down the porch steps towards the sidewalk, Hermione called out to him.

“Oh, and Ron?” she said, peeking her head out of her front door.

“Yeah?” he asked, stopping in his tracks.

She giggled. “I love you too,”

**Author's Note:**

> My boyfriend attends school two hours away from me, and my best friend moved 12 hours away to attend her dream school. I feel for Ron in this one.


End file.
